Shopping for a Cell Phone Plan? This Is as Easy as It Gets

You've done the research. Picked out a shiny new phone that you've lusted after. Compared features until your eyeballs are ready to explode. Now comes the hard part; choosing a price plan.

If you know what you want and what kind of voice or data plan you can live with, myCELLmyTERMS.com is an almost painless way to shop for one. Several sites will help you compare Canadian price plans, but the newest kid on the block acts like a matchmaking service. It asks you to specify what you're looking for, and takes your wish list to a network of providers to find a plan that fits your needs.

Still in beta, the site covers Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, but plans to add Quebec in mid-2010.

How It Works

Launched late in 2009, myCELLmyTERMS.com asks you to fill out an online questionnaire, then forwards your anonymous "proposal" to its network of dealers. You can initiate as many proposals as you want, and the site starts each with a template based on a chosen phone. Phones are arranged in five groups to help you find the type you want. You can add other phones you are willing to consider and can filter by manufacturer so you don't have to slog through a very long list of phones.

It also offers four groups of details to choose from: almost every feature offered by any carrier in Canada is here. If you're unsure about a feature, hovering over most options conveniently displays a short definition.
Note: If you currently have a contract, pull it out before you begin; the questionnaire will ask you details from that, including the expiration date. If your contract has not yet expired, a popup will warn you about the size of the dreaded cancellation fees.

Offer Notification

Once you've filed a proposal, you will be notified by e-mail when offers come in. When you log into the site, offers will be ranked and compared against your original proposal. Parts where the offers differ for the better are highlighted in green and parts that differ for the worse are highlighted in red. If you don't like what you see, just propose a counter offer and send it back before the offer's expiry date.

Beta Status

The site has a few glitches. It considers past contract dates invalid instead of expired. There are minor differences between the data collected at signup and what you see when updating your profile. And the best match ranking needs some work; in one test, looking for a cheap, no-contract phone, the site ranked a more expensive three-year contract over a cheaper, no-contract deal.

However, none of these glitches outweighs the site's usefulness. It makes finding a plan incredibly easy.